Ok, so I have used VOIP phone service for about 3 years or so ….. 1st with SunRocket (now defunct), and also with Packet 8. All in all I have been completely satisfied with VIOP and really dont notice much difference from using my cell…. Well a few weeks ago I was working late at night and saw an infomercial for “The Magic Jack”. It sounded great, all the normal features (call waiting, voicemail, unlimited local & long distance) and was only $39.95 for the USB Dongle including the 1st year of service. subsequent years are $19.95. Also it has a 30 day trial – how can you lose? I ordered it and about a week later it showed up in my mail box. 
Installation and set-up was a breeze. It took no less that 10 minutes, including downloading the update for Windows Vista. I tested it on my laptop with it connected to the Internet directly with the router, and via wireless connection, and it performed well. Here is my list of Pro’s and Con’s.
- PRO’s
It’s inexpensive $19.95 a year
You can use either a regular phone OR your headset & mic
Feature rich: unlimited local & long distance, voice mail, call waiting, 911 service
Portable, doesn’t need to be externally powered or plugged into the router
- Cons:
Not a lot of area code/prefix choices
Number porting not supported (yet)
It also has an Outlook plugin, but I have not got it to work with my latest-greatest version of outlook. All-in-all I think this is worth looking at.
